Inspired by.... The Bucolic Plague

Wow - I can't believe almost a month has passed.

I am so glad school is over so I'll be able to finish reading my books! I now have 3 in progress!
And I'll have time to work on my jewelry projects.

This month's book was the Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell. It's a tongue-in-cheek memoir of two professional men from Manhattan who decide to run a farm in upstate New York. It's a quick, engrossing book that had me laughing out loud as I shared anecdotes with whomever would listen.

The creativity and talent of the other members of the group is astounding. I almost feel like my simple pieces are not worthy of the group. That said - I am still excited with the materials I found and what I created in a short amount of time.

I had only read about half of the book when I wandered around the local bead shop (Island Bead in Eastport, NY) waiting for inspiration to hit me. And there they were - little glass goldfish reminiscent of Josh's drag queen costume. (I expect you can find out more about that in his first book, I Am Not Myself These Days:  A Memoir, which I plan to read sometime in the future.)

I found some 4mm neon orange candy jade beads and amber swarovski crystal in my stash.
Then I wrapped lots of fish and round beads to create dangling earrings and an ankle bracelet.
There are 3 lonely fish left - maybe the future holds a long chain necklace.

These dangle from my
 handcrafted ss earwires.

Hoping this is a hit in The Hamptons!

I love the way the gold pops out in this photo.
 Depending on the angle the coating on the fish looks gold or silver.

I have since finished (and loved) the Bucolic Plague and can't wait to start our next book, The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman. I'm looking forward to having the time to plan out my next project instead of putting it together at the last minute.          

I'm also very jealous of the folks who get to meet up in person with Andrew Thornton at the Allegory Gallery.  Check out Andrew's blog for more info -  http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/
ps - Check out the other participants!
Sarajo Wentling http://www.sjdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com/
Jenny Davies-Reazor http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog
Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com/
Mary Harding http://www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/
Judy Campbell http://www.macmillanmarie.blogspot.ca/
Michelle Mach http://www.michellemach.com/blog/
Mary K. McGraw http://mkaymac.blogspot.com/
Andrew Thornton, Amy Roadman, and Laurel Ross http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

A Rumor of Gems - Inspired By Reading Design

As if I didn't have enough to do, I decided it would be fun to join an online book club organized by Andrew Thornton.
Ah - but this is no ordinary book club. Each month we read a different book which should inspire us to create.
Click here to find out more about the club and upcoming titles
http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/2013/03/inspired-by-reading-book-club.html


For the month of May we read (or are still reading) A Rumor Of Gems, by Ellen Steiber. It's a very engrossing story of magic and relationships set in an old town, but in modern times. I tend to be very literal and became obsessed with the moonstones.  With little time before a weekend show, I put together two very simple pieces with amazonite, moonstone and sterling silver.

Finally, I wanted to create a labradorite bridge. Instead settled for this bracelet with beautiful labradorite from my stash. I just had to highlight it's brilliant flash with apatite. There are some great charcoal gray shell pearls and, of course, sterling silver.

 I can't wait to see what some of the other participants have created. I'm sure they'll be a bit more creative then me.